Current Status Report - September 2011Text in red denotes new activity since previous status report.

Establish major new centers or institutes

Action Taken

Inaugurated five multidisciplinary initiatives: the Humanities Center, the Environmental Change Initiative, the Initiative in Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, and the Center for Genomics and Proteomics

Created the Brain Science Program, a potential institute, led by Professor John Donoghue

Appointed new faculty in 2004–05 to lead new and developing initiatives including the Environmental Change Initiative (Osvaldo Sala), the Initiative in Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4) (John Logan), the Center for Computational Molecular Biology (Charles Lawrence), and the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization (Steven Lubar)

Received Corporation approval for the new Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Approved a program in Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship involving the departments of Sociology and Economics and the Division of Engineering

Appointed new faculty in 2005–06 to lead new and developing initiatives including the Cogut Center for the Humanities (Michael Steinberg) and the Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World (Susan Alcock)

Inaugurated process through the Academic Priorities Committee (APC) in 2005–06 for regular review of centers and initiatives to ensure progress toward institutional objectives and strategic use of University resources

APC recommended the creation of a new Center for Environmental Health and Technology in spring 2006 to manage existing externally-funded interdisciplinary research activity and related educational programs and to catalyze further efforts in this area

Received a $15 million gift from the C.V. Starr Foundation for an endowment to support the Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship program

Created the Center for Vision Research under the auspices of the Brain Science Program

Established William R. Rhodes ’57 Center for International Economics

Appointed a faculty committee to consider the establishment of a scholarly and teaching initiative on slavery and justice

Founded Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation (IMNI) to support multidepartment collaborative research teams in targeted areas of the molecular and nanosciences